10/10-11/2: Free & cheap - State Fair

Oct. 7, 2008 03:55 PMThe Arizona Republic

The Arizona State Fair is under way, beckoning with lights, music, foods on-a-stick and the chance to be twirled, dropped and held upside down.

However, if you're feeling the pinch of the economy and worried that the fried alligator tail and deep-fried sandwiches wrapped in pizza dough (new this year) might take too big a bite out of your pocket, do some groundwork before hastening to the fairgrounds. There are plenty of ways to save money without skimping on the fun.

With an eye on the pocketbook, here are six reasons to do the fair this year:

Dollar days

Those discounted-admission days help you reallocate money for the Booster or the Techno Jump or whatever ride catches your fancy. Super Saturdays, $5 Before 5, Wednesday ½ Price, Dollar Day, Halloween Boo Bundle - the promotion names and the offers differ but the result is the same. Go to azstatefair.com to choose what works best for you.

Free concerts

Watch top-notch entertainers for free - at least free after you pay your fair admission. Pick a concert on a discounted-admission day and spend even less to see Weezer, Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, Larry the Cable Guy, Meat Loaf and other acts. General-admission seating in the 14,000-seat Veterans Memorial Coliseum is free and available on a first-come, first-served basis, so get there early. Hard-core fans may buy reserved seats from Ticketmaster.

Cheap parking

Parking costs $12 in the fair's regular lot. The other extreme is trying to park in a nearby neighborhood and risking having your car towed. Here's a better idea: Park less than a mile away at the State Capitol, 1700 W. Washington St., weekdays after 6 p.m. and weekends all day starting at 10 a.m., and catch the free shuttle to the fair. You won't be towed. You will save money.

Free extreme shows

Tom Owen, aka the Human Speed Bump attempts to set a Guinness World Record with up to eight trucks - read: 30,000 pounds - rolling over his stomach. For another fix, catch the High Dive Daredevils as they plummet from an 80-foot tower. Too much testosterone for you? There's always the pie-eating contest and the beautifully decorated cakes and the prize-winning livestock.

People watching

OK, here's the reason we go to the fair and it doesn't cost a thing: First-rate people watching. From the debutantes in their finery to the cussing carnies to the lip-locked lovers on the Ferris wheel, here's the best place to watch the human race in all its idiosyncratic behavior. The best place to secretly watch people? From the ski-lift-like ride that takes you above all the action from one end of the fairgrounds to the other. And it's one of the cheapest rides of all.